A barcode is an optical machine-readable representation of information. Devices for identifying or extracting information from barcodes are generally referred to as barcode readers (or barcode scanners).
There are several different types of barcode readers that are commonly used today. For example, one type of barcode reader that is in widespread use is an image-based barcode reader, which includes a camera for capturing an image of a barcode to be read. The camera includes a focusing lens that focuses light reflected from a target area onto a photo sensor array. Once an image of a barcode has been captured by the camera, a decoder processes the image and extracts the information contained in the barcode. An image-based barcode reader may be a standalone device, or it may be a mobile computing device (e.g., a smartphone or tablet computer) that includes a camera and software for reading barcodes. Some other examples of barcode readers include pen-type scanners, laser scanners, charge-coupled device (CCD) readers, etc.
Barcodes and barcode readers have become widely used in many different types of commercial environments. In addition to being commonly used in point-of-sale stations in retail stores and supermarkets, barcodes and barcode readers are frequently used for many other purposes as well.
For example, some manufacturing processes could benefit from the use of barcodes, including manufacturing processes that involve an assembly line. In a typical assembly line process, an initial component is moved between workstations, and various operations are performed until a finished good is produced. However, there are various problems that may occur during such manufacturing processes. Some of these problems may be related to the machines that are involved in the manufacturing processes (e.g., machines may malfunction). Other problems may be related to workers (e.g., workers that do not properly perform their duties and/or that take unauthorized breaks).